maritime

Through my sleep I dreamt of eating fish and chips. Probably because my stomach was so empty, and I was hungry after my miserable first watch on the monkey island. However, that dreamy state of half-awake and half asleep was rudely interrupted by a sound in my ear” Sahib, Sahib, one bell”. This cannot be right; I had just gotten off to sleep but no there he was waiting for to get out of my bunk. “It is quarter to eight in the morning, Sahib, breakfast time”. Well I was certainly hungry and thoughts of an English breakfast with all the trimmings did not seem a bad idea. But how did I get it and where did I go to get it? That’s the question. Colin, the senior apprentice, popped his head around the door still puffing on his pipe and in his soft Welsh lilt said: “Wakey, wakey, breakfast at 08:30 in the officer’s saloon. Make sure you have your uniform on and it is tidy”! Okay, quick shower, teeth cleaned and dressed in my new uniform with stains from last night’s debacle on the mon...

For pensioners As pensioners we constantly adapt to keep up with daily life. Such is the case with supermarkets. No longer is it easy to find a friendly local butcher, greengrocer, or baker. We shop in a giant warehouse, often out of town, that they call either a shopping centre or a supermarket. This requires different strategies to successfully complete our purchases that fit our needs and pocket. Timing is also important. Avoid the commuter rush and especially the “after work” peak to the supermarket. Late morning, early afternoon is best, there is more parking space! Parking is the next challenge. Do I need to find an automat, have I got the right app or is it all done automatically by cameras. Getting it right is important to avoid a heavy fine. Is this a big shop requiring a trolley or a small shop where a basket is enough. The result of the decision determines whether you can use the “self-checkout” or not. No trollies in self-checkout. Today it is a basket shop. The o...